CPT code 28280: Toe syndactylization2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $498.01 for 28280 nationally in the office and $321.98 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $446.07–$644.12.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 28280 covers

This operation creates a soft-tissue connection between adjacent toes, sometimes described as a Kelikian-type procedure. A foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may use it to stabilize a painful overlapping or deviated toe by linking it to its neighbor. It is performed in an operating room, commonly in an outpatient surgical setting. The service is the creation of the connection between toes, not simply a tendon release or a correction that reshapes toe bone.

Report 28280 when the operative work includes this joining procedure. The note should identify the toes and side treated, the deformity or instability addressed, and the technique performed. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 28280 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

28280 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 28280 rate is calculated

Each of 28280’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 28280

28280 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

28280 compared with similar codes

How to choose

28285Hammertoe repair

Choose 28280 when adjacent toes are surgically joined by soft tissue. Choose 28285 for the defined hammertoe correction procedure.

28286Hammertoe repair

28286 addresses repair of a cock-up fifth toe; 28280 joins adjacent toes to create a soft-tissue connection.

28272Toe joint release

28272 is a toe-joint release. It does not describe syndactylization between adjacent toes.

Codes related to 28280

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates